Grant funding up $5,000 per officer

Rick Bourassa, Chief of the Moose Jaw Police Services, stands outside the station by a police vehicle in Oct. 2013. Bourassa spoke of how important grant funding from the province is and the services it provides to the force.

On June 27, the Ministry of Justice announced – through Corrections and Policing – that $330,000 will be contributed to continually fund three members of the MJPS. That figure is up $5,000 per officer from 2013.

According to Chief Rick Bourassa, the money from the province is a “pretty important piece” for the MJPS because “those three positions are really integral.”

One position deals with organized crime, another deals with analysis through tactics and strategy, and the third is an enhanced community policing position.

“They’re in our schools teaching concepts, but they’re also in the community doing a lot of community building pieces, including Special Olympics and other community agencies,” Bourassa said of the enhanced community policing position.

The funding, which was in the form a municipal grant to the City of Moose Jaw, is part of the government’s “commitment to fund 120 new police officer positions across the province,” said Moose Jaw Wakamow MLA Greg Lawrence.

He noted that these positions within the MJPS – funded by the government since 2009 – will contribute to “conducting comprehensive investigations” to help reduce crime and victimization in Moose Jaw.

Bourassa also told the Times-Herald that through this police grant, community building increases, “which increases the quality of life for people, which should also lead to reductions in crime.”

Nathan Liewicki can be reached at 306-691-1256 or follow him on Twitter @liewicks

Rick Bourassa, Chief of the Moose Jaw Police Services, stands outside the station by a police vehicle in Oct. 2013. Bourassa spoke of how important grant funding from the province is and the services it provides to the force.